Wordless Wednesday: Daddy's little clone

I have to add that Keifer insisted that CJ wear his hood up just like she did so they could be the same. :)

Who Who WHO is the cutest baby?

So let me share with you the second cutest baby IN THE WORLD (second or tied with Keifer Lynn): Kyla in her owl hat from Gymboree's Owl Sweetie Collection. Yeah, I'm a sucker for cute clothes for my girlies and always looking for sales. Well, back in the beginning of the month, Nana Margie came shopping with us and bought the girls some much needed new Fall clothes. I was so excited get this this adorable Owl hat for my Kyla girl- she was so stinking cute in it and seemed to really like showing it off. Here she modeled the hat for all of us, complete with the diaper butt and cell phone (she's a busy gal, you know).

Snicker nose

Texting her friends?

Big sister Keifer plays Paparazzi with her darling baby sis

So after this sequence of adorable "owl" pictures were taken, we forgot about the hat. I assumed we hung it up or put it away. Hmmm. Nope. To this day we have NO IDEA where the hell that damn hat went. I literally searched under cushions, behind furniture, under things, through the entire house, and no hat. Remember I told you our girl Kyla likes to throw things away? The only guess that we can make is that our sweet baby MUST have taken her brand new Owl hat and tossed it in the garbage, unbeknownest to us. It was a busy night at our house that night- with Papa & Nana, Auntie, Uncle and cousins all over for dinner. We figure our girl snuck it in the trash and we were so busy, we didn't see it.

I was very upset. Over a stupid HAT, people. Because apparently I have nothing else to worry about (sarcasm).

Luckily, I have some great sister friends on my message board, in fact, they are located all over the country. When I couldn't find the hat anywhere in the region I live, it wasn't online (til now, of course) and my mom couldn't find it, I got upset. So dear Emma, near Pittsburgh, managed to find the hat, get it ON SALE (thatta girl) and ship it to me.

We are now in possession of the adorable Owl hat. Again.

Problem solve. And mama feels GOOD that her little sweetie has a darling hat to wear when the weather is cold that she LOVES :)

Wordless Wednesday: Early in the morning, our first sips of milk

Bottles, balls and coins

Kyla's latest "obsession", if you will, is toddling around clutching some sort of bottle or bottle shaped toy in her hands. She gets absolutely livid if you try to remove a bottle that she has managed to get into her clutches, and we take bottles everywhere with us - church, the bath, in the car, shopping. By bottles, I mean travel size shampoo bottles, hair product bottles (especially my $$$ shiny blue hair serum, oye), bottles of mousse,and her favorite, plastic toy mini-bottles that look like glass coke bottles. Ahh, our girl loves them. She also enjoys trying to throw things into the garbage, retrieving OUR garbage for us, such as a used tissue, and leaving trails of her toys around the house. For example, I found her sock in the dollhouse, one I had searched for awhile for, as it was missing it's twin. Then, while preparing dinner, I found the 2 missing coins to her Fisher Price piggy bank in the baking cupboard!

This weekend, her "thing" was turning from bottles to BALLS. She had managed to figure out how to throw and somehow "kick" a ball on the ground - which was like her walking/shuffling and her foot connecting with the ball enough to give it momentum to spin ahead of her. Oh, how she loved chasing her ball around the yard and the street in front of our house. She loved it so much, she sobbed, "Ball ball ball" when we cleaned her up and took her in to eat. Then, last night, before she fell asleep, she looked at me, and clearly said "Ball!". She was processing her day, and what a fun day she had, with lots of ball play. My sweet baby.

How cute...

...are the 2 sisters in a basket?

I am continuously amazed and so blessed with how patient and kind Keifer is to her little sister. Yes, she's a bit rough with her most times, as well, but she means well. She means to help her and be a little mother to her, and make sure Kyla is safe in her escapades around the house.
Just tonight, I watched them play together, Keifer gently encouraging Kyla to play with the Little People in a swing (which Kyla did!), and then she kissed her spontaneously on the head. My heart just melts watching that.
I type that and then 2 seconds later, Keifer will push the envelope just a bit further and then try to push Kyla's buttons to make her cry. Yes, they are siblings. LOL.

July 2010 (211 photos)

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Play dates (aka Boys boys boys)

My oh my, did we have a fun summer! We had plenty of play dates, and mommy only forgot her camera a couple times. Here are a couple of highlights from the fun times we had with our friends.

We met up with Courtney at the Splash Park and this summer, they had live music on Thursdays at noon! We only made it 2 times to the live music, but Keifer really enjoyed shaking her booty AND being able to splash around in the cool fountains. The second time we went (no pics) she really was brave and 1) went and sat near my friend Missy (in a crowd of MANY) with out me, said, "hi, Friend" , and then 2) went up close and personal w/the lead singer and jiggied with her. It was so fun! We also enjoyed playing with my co-worker Carissa and her 2 girls there as well (we actually introduced her to this fun park!)

Here is Courtney, Aidan, baby Aubrey and Kyla chowing some lunch

Splashing around and having fun in the hot sun

Live music: this time was the Okee Dokee brothers. Super fun guys!

Beauty girl

Kyla getting to know Aidan a little better!

Mama and Kyla pre-walking, but not wanting to sit down!

Keifer playing hard to get with Aidan!

And on the a zoo play date with our neighbors, Denise and her son Hayden (same age as Keifer) and Johanna (5 months younger than Kyla).
We've done many play dates with these guys, and Keifer adore Hayden. He's the first friend we look for when we get home and take the puppies for a "spin" around the block.

Entering the zoo in the wagon!

Meanwhile, Kyla & JJ enjoy the double stroller!

The Sea Dragons that the Zoo has that is my favorite thing to visit each time! They are AMAZING! My pictures don't do these little dragons justice

In the butterfly garden!

Just friends, strolling along....

While we play

the above is a Keifer self-portrait....

...and Keifer took this

walking and pushing baby

loving on baby

look mom- putting on your shoes!

sassy dress up girl

in our bus & loving life

look mom, one leg!

A July weekend jam packed with fun

Back in July, we did another long weekend at Nana Dian & Papa Dale's house and had so much fun. The sleeping was MUCH better for both girls, maybe because 1) Kyla didn't have a double ear infection - that I found out about later -ha - and 2) Daddy came up for the last 2 nights and we split the parent/sleeping duties! *yay*.

Keifer had a ball playing some more with Wyatt ( my brother's girlfriend's son) and we did a lot of playing at the zoo and on the beach and in Canal Park. It's so fun to go back to my hometown and play tourist there with my kids; places I never appreciated growing up are suddenly super awesome to visit with my girls and I'm always so excited to show them off and experience them from the girls' points of view. Keifer is completely enthralled with giant Lake Superior, and now, whenever we drive and see a lake somewhere, she thinks it's "Lake Superior??".

Daddy and I also had a great dinner and movie date that weekend, and it was so nice to be out and relaxed.

This time, Keifer also got to see nature in our own backyard, literally. While going out to eat with Nana & Papa, she saw 3 deer in the front yard next door. How cool!

As you will see- I got a lot of pictures of the BACK of K1's head- that would be because she is just such a busy girl these days so therefore there are hardly any chances that she might stop and pose for the camera!

Our little Fairy girl playing dollies with Nana

Playing at "the park" next door (aka swing set!)

Our Fairy Girl can fly!

Testing out our new van's third row seating by adding Wyatt to the mix! On our way to the Zoo!

Keifer learning the finer points of chasing sea gulls from Wyatt

Wy-guy, Keifer and Kyla with Papa Dale at the beginning of our Zoo visit.

Kyla was excited to go and chill out!

Wy & K1 got to touch and talk about "Putz" the Turtle

A real life Llama! One of our favorite books is "Llama Llama Red Pajama"

Sweet hearts feeding the goats

Kyla thought the donkey was sooo funny

It was a hot and super sweaty day, as you can see....lion and lioness in the background!

CJ and I took the kiddos down to Park Point, the beach on Lake Superior. Normally, the water is frigid and bone chillingly cold, but that day it was amazing and warm! The kids LOVED the water! CJ played with them...

...while Kyla crawled around and ate a lot of sand!

She also played with some sticks!

Hot dog lunch after swimming.....

..and then some MORE fun at the rock beach! Watch out for flying rocks, Wyatt!

My favorite pic of my two April bday buddies (they were born on the same day, one year apart)

After the beach, we came home and the older kids helped Papa walk our puppers

Kyla got some more loving from daddy

And then K1 and Wy-guy chilled out a little. Were they tired? You think so?

Uncle Darren and his God-Daughter!